The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shared the findings of an unprecedented profiling exercise of Palestinian families internally displaced in the Gaza Strip as a result of the 2014 escalation of hostilities, showing that 75,000 people are still in need of homes.

“After hearing from over 16,000 displaced families in the Gaza Strip, it is clear that most continue to live in desperate conditions,” said Robert Piper, UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities.

“International support to end this situation is urgently needed.”

According to the survey, over 80% of families borrowed money to get by in the past year, over 85% purchased most of their food on credit, and over 40% have decreased their consumption of food.

Most IDP households (62.5%) reported that they are renting living space, including from extended family members, and nearly 50% fear being evicted from their accommodation.

The situation of women and girls is of particular concern. Many families report living in shelter conditions that are lacking in safety, dignity and privacy, including living in tents, makeshift shelters, destroyed houses, or open air. These needs come in the context of prolonged occupation, including the eight-year-long Israeli blockade and three outbreaks of hostilities since 2008.

“Funding is needed more than ever. We face a funding gap to reconstruct some 6,600 houses, or about 37 per cent of the overall caseload. Without this support, thousands of Palestinians will see no end to their displacement,” said Piper.

“But this support must go hand in hand with significant changes at the policy-level, including a lifting of the blockade and progress towards Palestinian reconciliation. Without such action, coping capacities of exhausted and vulnerable households risk being depleted altogether,” he concluded.

(WAFA)